San Diego State Aztecs Rugby Club is the rugby union club of San Diego State University in San Diego, California. It fields both men's and women's teams, the men compete in Division 1-A in the California conference and the women play in the Pacific Desert conference of Division II. The Aztec men's team won the US National Collegiate Rugby Championship in 1987.
Teams
Men's team
Since the inception of the club in 1958, men's rugby has been both a popular and successful sport on campus at SDSU, so much so that Aztec alumni went on to set-up the rugby team of Old Mission Beach Athletic Club (OMBAC) in 1966[7] and also to found San Diego Old Aztecs RFC in 1978.[8] In addition to the 1987 National Championship, the Aztecs have won numerous SCRFU Collegiate Conference titles to progress to the national playoffs, including 1996,[9] 2007,[10] 2008 (quarterfinalists),[11] 2009 (semifinalists), 2010 (quarterfinalists) and 2012 (semifinalists).[12] San Diego State men's teams have also excelled at the short-form of the game; finishing second at the 2010 Collegiate Rugby Championship (broadcast live on NBC)[13] and qualifying to play in the USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships in 2011 (quarterfinalists), 2012 and 2015 (quarterfinalists).
Women's team
Women first represented San Diego State at rugby in 1975[14] and, like the men, had an astonishingly successful introduction, finishing the season second in the nation after losing the inaugural Women's Collegiate National Championship to the University of Colorado.[15] The team played successfully for eleven seasons, even going on an undefeated four-match tour of New Zealand in 1981.[16] In 1986 the Aztecs combined[17] with a local club team the Rio Grande Surfers. The Surfers, now known as the San Diego Surfers,[18] play in the Women's Premier League, the highest level of women's rugby in the United States. The Aztec women's team has recently been re-established on campus and they were progressing through the 2020 season until it was cut-short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Club history
Founding and inaugural season
The Aztec Rugby Club, in its first season, took first place in the Southern California Rugby Association ... it appears that rugby will have a very favorable future on Montezuma Mesa.[19]
sic: read Southern California Rugby Football Union[20]
Del Sudoeste p.214, 1958
The first record of anyone having an interest in playing rugby at San Diego State College (as it was then) is an advertisement in the school newspaper, The Daily Aztec, at the end of the fallsemester of 1957 asking for Men interested in forming a rugby team to attend a meeting.[21] More than 45 people turned up[22] so a season schedule was put together along with a timetable of practices to be held over the winter break and Mr. Fred Quiett of the university's Engineering Department agreed to become the club's first faculty representative.[23]
Winning ways continued that first Cinderella season with a further three victories before suffering their first league defeat to Eagle Rock Athletic Club. This set-up their final match with Santa Ana College on the next weekend as a championship decider, the Aztecs won the match and thus they also clinched the league in their inaugural season.[26] Four of the team were named on the Southern California All star team (Bob Johnston, Ernie Trumper, Jim Hansen and Ian Richardson), two to the All-star second team (Bob Shank and Jim Hastings) and one honorable-mention (Ray Fackrell).[27]
San Diego State Aztec rugby - men's team inaugural season (1958)
Students and alumni of San Diego State who have been awarded All-American honors for rugby, played for the US Junior All Americans (U20s), the US Collegiate All Americans (U23s) or who have played international rugby at a junior level for another nation.
Played rugby and football at San Diego State University graduating in 1967
Began his coaching career under Don Coryell and John Madden as a Graduate Assistant at SDSU
Coached OMBAC for 20 years creating a rugby powerhouse
US 7's Club Champions 1985, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2006
US 15's Champions 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, and 1996
Rugby Super League Champions 2006
more than 70 OMBAC players coached by Dawson between 1985 and 2006 represented the U.S. in 7's or 15's
He also coached Southern California Griffins, the Pacific Coast Grizzlies and the U.S. Eagles National Teams
Cornel Muller –– Operations and Production Manager at Major League Rugby
Giovanni Vaglietti –– Executive Director, USA Youth and High School Rugby (the sanctioned body for all Youth & High School Rugby across the country)[89]
Born and raised in South Africa, Vaglietti came to San Diego State University on an athletic scholarship
He worked in San Diego State University’s Athletic Department
^"Photo Caption". Daily Aztec: Volume 54, Number 91. March 14, 1975. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
^"Ruggers second in nationals". Daily Aztec: Volume 54, Number 113. April 30, 1975. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
^Brian Clark (September 26, 1985). "Scary' kick puts O'Brien in book". The Daily Aztec: Volume 69, Number 19. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
